Thank you all SO MUCH for your incredibly helpful advice. I've learned more here than in all my conversations with friends and family about this situation. Based on your suggestions, I'm going to: 1. Schedule an in-person appointment with SSA (with all documents ready) 2. Apply for my daughter's survivor benefits immediately 3. Strongly consider reducing my work hours to get under the earnings limit so I can also claim some survivor benefits while caring for her 4. Plan to switch to my own retirement benefit at FRA or 70 I feel like I finally have a roadmap now! If anyone has additional thoughts or suggestions, I'd love to hear them. And I'll try to come back and update on how things go with SSA. Thanks again for all your help!

Just wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - when you go to your SSA appointment, ask them to run a "what-if" scenario showing your projected benefits under different claiming strategies. They have software that can model out your lifetime benefits if you claim survivor benefits now vs. waiting, and factor in your higher retirement benefit. Also, since you mentioned this isn't your passion job, don't forget that if you do reduce hours and claim survivor benefits, you'll still be earning Social Security credits toward your own retirement benefit as long as you're earning at least $1,730 per quarter (for 2025). So working part-time won't hurt your future retirement benefit calculations. One last tip: If the first SSA representative seems unsure about the adoption/survivor benefit rules, politely ask to speak with a supervisor or someone who specializes in survivor benefits. This isn't a common situation and not all reps will be familiar with the nuances. You deserve accurate information for such an important decision!

To follow up on my earlier comment - since you mentioned your own benefit at 70 would be "quite a bit higher" than half of your husband's benefit, it may be worth calculating exact numbers. Your benefit at 70 would be 132% of your FRA amount (if your FRA is 67). So if your FRA benefit is more than about 38% of your husband's FRA benefit, waiting until 70 will eventually give you more than taking spousal at 62 (which would only be 35% of his FRA benefit due to early filing reduction).

Just wanted to add that you might also want to consider whether you're eligible for any other benefits that could bridge the gap if you wait until 70. For example, if your husband passes away before you start collecting, you could potentially get survivor benefits (which have different rules than spousal benefits). Also, some people don't realize that Medicare enrollment at 65 is separate from Social Security - you can sign up for Medicare even if you're not taking SS benefits yet. Given that your FRA benefit is 80% of your husband's, waiting until 70 definitely sounds like the right mathematical choice, especially since you're still working. The delayed retirement credits you'll earn are essentially a guaranteed 8% annual return, which is hard to beat in today's market!

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet - if you're in your first year of retirement, they apply a monthly earnings test instead of annual, which can be really helpful. Basically if you retired mid-year after making a lot pre-retirement, they won't count those pre-retirement earnings against you. And yes, definitely expect an increase for 2025. Based on economic indicators so far, I'd guess around a 2.5-3% increase to the earnings limit. That would put it around $22,900 give or take.

Just wanted to add that you can also check your estimated benefits online through your my Social Security account at ssa.gov. They have a retirement estimator that can help you see how different earning levels might affect your benefits. I found it really useful when I was trying to figure out my work schedule after starting benefits early. Also, keep detailed records of your earnings throughout the year - it makes things much easier if you do need to report to SSA or if there are any discrepancies later.

Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in benefits administration (not SSA, but similar federal program). The folks above are absolutely correct - COLA increases apply to ALL current beneficiaries regardless of when you started receiving benefits. It's actually one of the most straightforward aspects of Social Security! One small tip: when you do start receiving benefits in October 2025, I'd recommend setting up a my Social Security account at ssa.gov if you haven't already. You'll be able to see your payment history, download your benefit verification letters, and most importantly, you can see exactly how the COLA increase affects your benefit amount in real-time when it gets applied in January 2026. Good luck with your retirement planning! It sounds like you're being very thoughtful about the timing and budget considerations.

I just wanted to add something that might be helpful for your planning - when you do get that COLA increase in January 2026, remember that it might also affect your Medicare Part B premium if you're enrolled in Medicare. The standard Part B premium is typically deducted directly from your Social Security benefit, and sometimes the premium increases can offset part of your COLA increase. For 2025, the standard Part B premium is $185 per month, but they usually announce the following year's premium amount around the same time as the COLA announcement in October. So when you're calculating your net benefit increase for January 2026, you'll want to factor in any potential Medicare premium changes too. Just something to keep in mind since you mentioned you're trying to budget for next year! The good news is that even with Medicare premium adjustments, you typically still come out ahead with the COLA increase.

One final tip - when you go to your appointment, ask them to show you a benefit comparison between filing for your own benefits only versus filing for the combination of yours plus ex-spouse benefits. In rare cases, it might actually be more advantageous to file a restricted application for just the ex-spouse benefits and let your own benefit continue to grow until age 70. The rules changed in 2015, but some people born before 1954 still have this option.

Another thing to keep in mind - if you remarried after your divorce, you generally can't claim benefits on your ex-husband's record unless that subsequent marriage ended (either by divorce, death, or annulment). Since you didn't mention remarrying, this probably doesn't apply to you, but it's worth noting for others in similar situations. Also, your ex-spouse benefits won't affect his benefits at all - he'll still receive his full amount regardless of what you collect. Good luck with your appointment!